Mail elevator



Dec. 15. 1925.

D. A. DORAN um amvkwbk Filed Dec. 9, 192:;

2 Sheets-sh anoentn Daniel I9. 0070):,

33 his g a 3.. Z a V 1 n a m w w .w 3 V. 5 7 M k w q 4 ,w a a z a M Y gPatented Dec. 15, 1925.

UNITED STATES DANIEL A. DOBAN, OF YONKERS, NEW YORK.

MAIL ELEVATOR.

Application filed December 9, 1922. Serial No. 605,788.

To (ZZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIELA. DoRAN, a citizen of the United States, andresiding at Yonkers, in the county of Westchester and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail Elevators, ofwhich the following is a specification, such as will enable thoseskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to mail elevators or lifts and particularly toapparatus of this class designed for use in raising and lowering mail inan apartment house or other building or dwelling'and the object of theinvention is to provide an apparatus of the class specified, means ofwhich mail or the like may be automatically raised from a predeterminedpoint in a building to different apartments and floors of a building; afurther object being to provide an apparatus of the class specified,which is automatic in operation and the operation of which is controlledby the opening and closing of the doors selected to predeterminedapartments of a building; a further object being to provide means fortaking up the slack of the ropes or cables for operating the mail boxesof the apparatus, and with these and other objects in view, theinvention consists in an apparatus of the class and for the purposespecified, which is simple in construction, efficient in use, and whichis constructed as hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification of whichthe accom panying drawing forms a part, in which the separate parts ofmy improvement are designated by suitable reference characters in eachof the views, and in which Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view showing onemethod of carrying my invention into effect with parts of theconstruction broken away in section.

2 is a partial section on the line 2-2 of 1 and on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of the electric circuit of one completeunit of my apparatus.

Fig. i is a partial section on the line 44: of Fig.2 and on an enlargedscale; and,

F 5 and 6 are detail sectional views of parts of the automatic circuitmaker and breaker which I employ.

In the drawing I have indicated for the purpose of illustrating themethod of carrying my invention into effect, three mail elevator shafts10, the lower ends of which lead to a predetermined point in a building,preferably the vestibule or entrance room of a building and at 11 I haveshown a part of the wall of such room with a large door 12 movablymounted therein and normally closed by a suitable. lock 13 and to thedoor 12 are hinged other doors 14 controlled by suitable locks 15 whichcontrol the admission to the lower ends of the separate shaft 10employed, and the doors 12 are preferably provided with transparentpanels 16. The shafts 10 terminate at the door opening controlled by thedoor 12 and are provided with apertures 17 to permit of the insertionand removal of mail whenever desired and the shafts 10 extend upwardlyinto the building to predetermined apartments and to rooms in saidapartments or to predetermined points on the separate floors of abuilding, and are provided at the upper ends thereof with door openings18 controlled by hinged doors 19.

Mounted in the separate shafts 10, only one of which is shown in detailin the drawing, are mail receiving and carrying members 20 of theconstruction shown in Figs. 2 and 4: of the drawing and comprising abottom plate 21 an arc-shaped back plate 22 and comparatively straightside walls or plates 23 and mounted in connection with the bottom plate21 is an upwardly, inwardly and outwardly directed spring member 24adapted to retain letters or the like placed in the members 20 againstdisplacement, and extending longitudinally of the corner portions of themember 20 are rods 25 which are contracted at the top and bottom of themember 20 and provided with loops or eyes with which a cord or cable 26is connected, and annular trip members 27 are mounted in connection withthe loops or eyes of said rods. The rods 25 are bowed outwardly from themember 20 or the corner portion thereof and are adapted to guide themember 20 in its passage through the shaft 10 and are also free ofexpansion and contra-0' tion by reason of the spring properties thereof.

The cord or cable 26 passes from the top of the member 20 upwardlyaround a pulley 28 at the top of the shaft and then downwardly throughthe shaft and around a dru and than upwardly to the bottom of thememberand said cord or cable is wound once around the drum 29 to insure themovement of said cable by said drum.

T he drum 29 is located at a predetermined distance below the door 12which controls the admission to the lower ends of the shafts 10 and ismounted upon a shaft supported upon a table 31 by suitable bearings,said table 31 being provided with a downwardly directed extension 32movable in and guided by a supporting sleeve 38, and the lower end ofthe extension 32 operates upon a spring 3 1 mounted in the sleeveSupported upon the table 31 is a small electric motor upon the shaft ofwhich is a worm 36 adapted to cooperate with a worm gear 37 on the shaft30 of the drum 29 and by means of which said drum is retated to move themail receiving and earrying member 20 upwardly and downward ly in theshaft 10.

Connected with the motor are three circuit wires 38, 39 and and thecircuit wire 38 extends upwardly to the top portion of the shaft 10' andthe circuit therethrongh is controlled by a switch device 11 while thewire 39 extends upwardly to the lower end of the shaft 10, and thecircuit therethrough is controlled by a switch device 12 and the wire 38through the switch device -11 extends to a. Contact 413 while the wireEl?) through the switch 12 extends to a contact 1% and the contacts 43and 11 are located in juxta-position to the door 19 and the circuitstherethrough are controlled by a switch arm 4-13 mounted in connectionwith the door 19 and movable into and out of contact with the. separatecontacts -13 and 4:1 respectively.

The wire a0 is connected with a suitable source of electrical supplyindicated at 16 in Figs. 2 circuit tl'irough the wire ill is controlledby a switch 17 mounted in connection with and actuated by the lock 13 ofthe door 12, whereby when the door 1.2 is opened, the entire circuit isbroken to prevent the operation of the mail holder and carrier 20 aswill be apparent.

The operation of my improved mail elevator will be readily understoodfrom the iloregoing description when taken in connection with theaccompanying; drawings and the following statement. it will beunderstood that I have shown but one of the shafts of an apparatus andhave indicated aart of three shafts, but in practise any number of theseshafts may be employed, it being understood that the structure of eachshaft will be the same as the one shaft shown in 1 and 2 of the drawing,each shaft being provided with independent motor support, electric motorand drum, and by reason of the form of the member 20 or the separatemembers 20 in the shafts employed, a greater number of these shafts andmembers and 3 of the drawing, and the 20 may occupy a predeterminedspace, and the mail placed in the member 20 or members 20 is supportedin arc-shaped fashion as indicated at 48 in. Fig. 4 of the drawing.Normally the member 20 is at the bottom of the shaft 10 as illustrated.in Fig. 2 of the drawing, and the doors '12 and 19 are closed and theswitches 11, 42 and to are in the position shown in Fig. 3 of thedrawing, If a letter carrier now opens the door 12 as shown in. Fig. 2of the drawing to insert mail in the member 20 of one shaft 10 or saidmembers of a number of shafts, the circuit will be broken through thewires 38, 39 and 40 and the opening of the door 19 of one shaft will notcause the member 20 to be raised. In closing the door 12 and moving; theloclr 13 and the switch 47 thereof into operative position, the circuitis closed through the wire 40, and if a tenant or other party shouldopen the door 19 leading to the shaft 10, the switch will be moved fromthe position shown in Fig. 8 and Fig. 6 of the drawing, in whichposition it is in circuit with the contact 1 1, into the position shownin Fig. 5 in which it is in circuit with the contact 13. This operationwill complete the circuit to the motor 35 and will cause the member 20to be raised in the shaft 10 until the trip 27 at the top of the member20 strikes the switch 11 to move the same into position to break thecircuit through the wire 38 and automatically stop the motor 35 in theabove described, operation, the switch is automatically moved intoposition to close the circuit through the wire 39 by a spring 42employed for this purpose and after the mail has been removed from themember 20 through the door opening 18 by the tenant or other party, andthe door 19 is again closed, the circuit is again completed to the motorthrough the contact eel and switch 12, and the motor is rotated in anopposite direction by reason of the wiring employed, and the member 20moved downwardly in the shaft 10, and when the trip 27 at the bottom ofthe member 20 strikes the switch 42, said switch is moved intoinoperative position and the circuit is again broken to the motor 35 andthe member 20 automatically stopped. In the last named. operation, itwill also be understood that the switch 41 is returned to its normal oroperative position by a spring 11 and the various parts of the apparatusare again in the first named position, and the above operation may berepeated as often as desired, it being understood that as long asthedoor 12 is in a closed position, the member 20 may be automaticallyraised and lowered in the shaft 10 by the opening and closing; of thedoor 19.

It will also be understood that the shafts 10 may extend in a straight,upright position in a building or may be extended at ill differentangles or to any predetermined point in a building by suitablyconstructing the shafts.

I also preferably employ in the wall structure 11 beneath the door 12, acompartment 49 adapted to receive mail that cannot be placed in themembers 20, and this compartment is controlled by a door 50, but myinvention is notnecessarily limited to the use of the compartment 49 norto other details of construction herein described and various changestherein and modifications thereof may be made within the scope of theappended claims without departing from the spirit of my invention orsacrificing its advantages.

Having fully described my invention,

what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

' 1. An apparatus of the class described, comprising a shaft, a mailreceiving and carrying member mounted in said shaft and movabletherethrough from one end portion thereof to the other, the end portionsof said shaft being provided with openings, doors for closing saidopenings, means involving an electric motor for moving said member inboth directions from one end portion of said shaft to the other and injuxtaposition to said openings, said motor being in an electric circuit,means at the end portions of said shaft adapted to be actuated by tripdevices connected with said member for controlling the circuit to saidmotor, and for governing the direction of the movement of said member insaid shaft, a switch device actuated by one of said doors cooperatingwith said last named means for controlling the circuit through saidmotor, and the other of said doors being provided with a switch devicefor making and breaking the circuit to said motor.

2. An apparatus of the class described, comprising a shaft, a mailreeeivin and carrying member mounted in said shaft and movabletherethrough from one end portion thereof to the other, the end portionsof said shaft beingprovided with openings, doors for closing saidopenings, means involving an electric motor for moving said member fromone end portion of said shaft to the other and in juxtaposition to saidopenings, said motor being in an electric circuit, means at the endportions of said shaft adapted to be actuated by trip devices connectedwith said member for controlling the circuit to said motor, and forgoverning the direction of the movement of said member in said shaft, aswitch device actuated by one of said doors cooperating with said lastnamed means for controlling the circuit through said motor, and theother of said doors being provided with a switch device for making andbreaking the circuit to said motor, and said motor and operating meansbeing mounted on a movable support to take up the slack in the cable forsupporting and moving said member in said shaft.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, a shaft, a member mounted inand movable through said shaft from one end thereof to the other, anendless cable to which said member is secured and by means of which thesame is operated, said cable passing over a pulley at the upper end ofthe shaft, means involving an electric motor at the lower end of theshaft for operating said cable and said member to positively drive saidmember upwardly and downwardly through the shaft, said last named meansbeing mounted on a movable support, whereby the weight thereof will takeup the slack in said cable, tensional means for partially supportingsaid movable support, said member being provided with resilient guidemembers to permit of its free passage through said shaft, the bodyportion of said member being arc-shaped in form, tensional means forsecurely holding mail in connection therewith, said motor being in anelectric circuit, and means automatically actuated by said member forcontrolling the circuit to said motor. w

4. In an apparatus of the class described, a shaft, a member mounted inand movable through said shaft from one end thereof to the other, anendless cable to which said member is secured and by means of which thesame is operated, said cable passing over a pulley at the upper end ofthe shaft, means involving an electric motor at the lower end of theshaft for operating said cable and said member to positively drive saidmember upwardly and downwardly through the shaft, said last named meansbeing mounted on a movable support, whereby the weight thereof will takeup the slack in said cable, tensional means for partially supportingsaid movable support, said-member being provided withfresilient guidemembers to permit of its free passage through said shaft, the bodyportions of said member be ing arc-shaped in form, tensional means forsecurely holding mail in connection therewith, said motor being in anelectric circuit, means automatically actuated by said member forcontrolling the circuit to said motor, and other means for controllingthe circuit to said motor.

5. In an apparatus of the class described, a shaft, a member mounted inand movable through said shaft from one end thereof to the other, anendless cable to which said member is secured and by means of which thesame is operated, said cable passing over a pulley at the upper end ofthe shaft, means involving an electric motor at the lower end of theshaft for operating saidcable and said member to positively drive saidmember upwardly and downwardly through the IUD shaft, said last namedmeans being mounted on a movable support, whereby the weight thereofwill take up the slack in said cable, tensional means for partiallysupporting said movable support, said member being provided withresilient guide members to permit of its free passage through saidshaft, the body portion of said member beingarc-shaped in form,tensional means for securely holding mail in connection therewith,saidmotor being in an electric circuit, means automatically actuated by saidmemher for controlling the circuit to said motor, other means forcontrolling the circuit to said motor, and means independent of saidlast named means for opening and closing the motor circuit.

6. A mail elevator ap aratus of the class described comprising aplurality of shafts, the lower ends of said shafts being located at apredetermined point in a building, and the upper ends thereof extendingto predetermined floors and apartments of a building, the lower ends ofsaid shafts being provided with openings to give access thereto, a door.for closing all of said openings, and the upper ends of the shafts beingprovided with openings closed by independent doors, mail receiving andcarrying members mounted in said shafts and movable from one end portionthereof to the other, the body portions of said members being arc-shapedin form, tensional means for retaining mail therein, said members beingprovided with resilient guide members and means involving electricmotors mounted below the lower ends of said shafts for moving saidmembers upwardly and downwardly through said shafts.

7. A mail elevator apparatus of the class described comprising aplurality of shafts, the lower ends of said shafts being located at apredetermined point in a building, and the upper ends thereof extendingto pre determined floors and apartments of a building, the lower ends ofsaid shafts being pro vided with openings to give access thereto, a doorfor closing all of said openings, and the upper ends of the shafts beingprovided with openings closed by independent doors, mail receiving andcarrying members mounted in said shafts and movable from one end portionthereof to the other, the body portions of said members being areshapedin form, tensional means for retaining mail therein, said members beingprovided with resilient guide members, means involving electric motorsmounted below the lower ends of said shafts for moving said membersupwardly and downwardly through saidshafts, said means involving cablesdriven bysaid motors, and said means being movably supported andsuspended by said cables to take up the slack therein in the operationof said members in said shafts.

8. A mail elevator apparatus of the class described comprising aplurality of shafts, the lower ends of said shafts being located at apredetermined point in a building, and the upper ends thereof extendingto predetermined floors and apartments of a building, the lower ends ofsaid shafts being provided with openings to give access thereto,

a door for closing all of said openings, and, the upper ends of theshafts being provided with openings closed by independent doors, mailreceiving and carrying members mounted in said shafts and movable fromone end portion thereof to the other, the body pen tions of said membersbeing arc-shaped in form, tensional means for retaining mail therein,said members being provided with resilient guide members, meansinvolving electric motors mounted below the lower ends of said shaftsfor moving said members upwardly and downwardly through said shafts,said means involving cables driven by said motors, said means beingmovably supported and suspended by said cables to take up the slacktherein in the operation of said members in said shafts, said electricmotors being in electric circuits, and automatically operated means atthe upper and lower ends of the separate shafts for controlling thecircuits to-said motors.

9. A mail elevator apparatus of the class described comprising aplurality ofv shafts, the lower ends of said shafts being located at apredetermined point in a building, and the upper ends thereof extendingto predetermined floors and apartments of a building, the lower ends ofsaid shafts being provided with openings to give access thereto, a doorfor closing all of said openings, and the upper ends of the shafts beingprovided with openings closed by independent doors, mail receiving andcarrying members mounted in said shafts and movable from one end portionthereof to the other, the body portions of said members being arcshapedin form, tensional means for retaining mail therein, said members beingprovided with resilient guide members, means involving electric motorsmounted below the lower ends of said shafts for moving said membersupwardly and downwardly througn said shafts, said means involving cablesdriven by said motors, said means being movably supported, and suspendedby said cables to take up the slack therein in the operation of saidmembers in said shafts, said electric motors being in electric circuits,automatically operated means at the upper and lower ends of the separateshafts for controlling the circuits to said motors, and other means atthe upper end portions of said shafts for controlling the circuits tosaid motor.

10. A mail elevator apparatus of the class described comprising aplurality of shafts,

the lower ends of said shafts being located at a predetermined point ina building, and the upper ends thereof extending to predetermined floorsand apartments of a building, the lower ends of said shafts beingprovided with openings to give access thereto, a door for closing all ofsaid openings, and the upper ends of the shafts being provided withopenings closed by independent doors, mail receiving and carryingmembers mounted in said shafts and movable from one end portion thereofto the other, the body portions of said members being arc-shaped inform, tensional means for retaining mail therein, said members beingprovided with resilient guide members, means involving electric motorsmounted below the lower ends of said shafts for moving said membersupwardly and downwardly through said shafts, said means involving cablesdriven by said motors, said means being movably supported and suspendedby said cables to take up the slack therein in the operation of saidmembers in said shafts, said electric motors being in electric circuits,automatically operated means at the upper and lower ends of the separateshafts for controlling the circuit to said motors, other means at theupper end portions of said shafts for controlling the circuits to saidmotor, and means for opening and closing the motor circuits.

11. A mail elevator apparatus of the class described comprising aplurality of independent shafts, mail receiving and carrying membersmounted in said shafts and movable from one end portion thereof to theother, means in each of said shafts and including an electric motor formoving said members upwardly and downwardly through the shaft, meansinvolving electric motors at one end portion of each of said shafts andan endless conveyor driven by said motor for positively moving saidmembers upwardly and downwardly through said shafts, and said meansbeing movably supported and suspended by said conveyors to take up theslack therein in the operation of said members in said shafts.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname this 29th day of November 1922.

DANIEL A. DORANL,

